What have I bought and learned?

Car #1:  1994 Nissan Pathfinder 3.0 liter V6, 5 speed.
We looked at 7 Pathfinders before I found one in decent condition. This one came from Georgia and had a sticker under the hood from an auto body company in the US.  Initial cost in May 2005 was $7,500.  Initial repairs to make it drivable were $400 plus $500 for new tires. Repairs and maintenance over the past year were about $1,00 for 12,000 miles.  While the repairs have been high, some of that is to be expected for a 12 year old car with 140,000 miles (see deferred maintenance). Gas mileage is a lousy 12 - 14 mpg because I rarely get out of 3rd gear with all of the mountain driving. This can be converted to a turbo-diesel for about $2,800 but I don’t see the economics in it. After breaking the chassis 2 times (Pathfinders are notorious for hidden rust problems) we finally sold it.

Car #2: 1999 Nissan Primera (Same as the Infinity G20) for my wife.
We looked at over 20 other cars before we found this one.  I knew immediately that this was the car for Isabel but we still had our mechanic check it out. Cost was $9,500 in August 2005.  Initial repairs were $150. Repairs and maintenance over the last year was about $400 including $240 for new tires and brakes.  During that time Isabel put about 8,000 miles on the car.  This has a 2 liter gas engine, automatic transmission and get about 22 mpg. This has been a fantastic car except that parts are difficult to find because the Primera was not widely imported into Costa Rica. Windshield wipers are a nonstandard size and the Nissan dealership charges $35 for a pair of wiper blades as Refills are not available. This past year we had to rebuild the front and rear suspension due to the abuse from bad roads.  The total cost was a bit over $2,500. Of that, $2,200 was for the parts that could only be obtained through the dealer.

Car (Headache) #3: 2000 Hyundai Galloper TDI
This was intended to be the replacement for the gas guzzling Pathfinder.  Initial cost in February 2006 was $13,000.  (The TDI means Turbo-diesel with Intercooler.)  The initial repairs to bring it into condition were $150.  Within 2 months or less than 2,000 km, the head developed a crack and overheated even though the temperature gauge never indicated any problem. Result was I had to purchase a new used engine at a cost of $2,600 installed. Repair costs to date, including the engine, are $3,400. This car got a fantastic 25+ miles per gallon and had space for everything.

Even though I try to keep all of the cars maintained properly and I fix everything that is wrong, every time I go on a long trip, it is a gamble as to whether I will make it home in this vehicle.  Some examples:

• Problems with the transfer case.
• The clutch pedal quit working and I had to drive 80 miles by shifting gears without the use of the clutch.
• The alternator went out out and the idiot light did not show that the battery was being discharged. We had to drive 20KM using a MagLite flashlight as our only headlight!  Ironically, when we went through the police check point in Dominical, they waved us through.  Simply amazing...
   
• The A/C lost a seal and left us to deal with the dust and heat in Guanacaste.
• The power steering high pressure hose sprung a leak. The mechanic could not get an exact replacement so he had a high pressure hose made and brazed the fittings onto the pump and the steering piston.

All of these items occurred in less than 2 months. Korean cars are known for lousy quality and this is no exception.  This headache has been sold.